


2556

by firerwolf



Series: Spartan IV [8]
Category: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-21
Updated: 2016-06-21
Packaged: 2018-07-16 07:47:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7258792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firerwolf/pseuds/firerwolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sarah and Buck share a little workout.</p>
            </blockquote>





	2556

Being augmented poses a particular problem that is very unique to Spartans: namely, where to get a good workout. When you have super-human strength you can lift the same amount of weight a professional body builder would struggle with and not break a sweat. That problem was the reason why a good deal of research and money had been put into designing a gym on Infinity's S-Deck where a Spartan could exercise effectively. The gravity in the gym was higher than normal, so the only soldiers who were ever there were S-IVs. But at times like this, when the Spartans were running war games, it was oddly quiet. But that was exactly why Buck had chosen this time to get his blood pumping. He sat on one of the stationary bikes that had been specially designed to provide the resistance that a Spartan needed. He settled into place and stated to peddle. His forearms rested against the handle bars as he worked into a steady pace.

"No upper body routine today?" a voice asked, catching Buck's attention. He looked over to see Sarah Palmer approaching, dressed in simple workout clothing. "You do realize that ladies only care about how you look from the waist up, right?"

"My girlfriend like my butt," Buck defended as he slightly arched his back so his rear stuck out. "She thinks it's a work of art."

"She must also think your finger paintings belong in a museum," Sarah shot back. "There are exceptions to the rule of course, but you..." Her eyes looked him over and she shook her head. “You're not one of them. You're better off focusing on your top half."

"And why should I take your advice?" Buck asked.

"’Cause I've seen what's under those shorts and I know what I'm talking about." Sarah smirked and set her arm against the handle bars of the stationary bike. "Besides, the upper half needs work anyway."

"You're just full of insults today, aren't you?" Buck muttered, though Palmer seemed undeterred. "Are you this mean to your boyfriend?" It was a fairly obvious attempt to fish for details, but gathering personal information through taunting or flirting was just the ODST way. And old habits die hard.

"If there were anything to mock about my boyfriend, I would," Sarah answered. "He doesn't give me easy fodder the way you do. You've also got the classic easily-bruised ODST ego."

"I'm a Spartan now," Buck reminded her.

"In rank and body, but your pride is still a Trooper’s." Sarah stood from where she was leaning. "Come on; get a real workout from something that's alive." She turned and started walking away.

Buck slowly stopped peddling and watched her. "I'm in a committed relationship, remember?" He shamefully let his eyes take in all of her as she walked until she stopped and he realized she was standing beside the boxing ring that was set in the center of the room. "Oh," he muttered, finally dismounting his bike. "Or we could spar."

"What kind of a woman do you think I am, Eddie?" Palmer asked, a teasing smirk on her face. "I'm in a very committed relationship too. Besides, I don't go for rookies."

"I'm nearly twenty years your senior and I'm the rookie? I was in boot when you were in diapers." Buck slipped between the ropes and into the ring. "You sure you can keep up, Kid?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Palmer countered as she entered the ring as well. "I can hear your old bones creaking from across the room. You sure you aren't going to break a hip?"

"So I'm old but also a rookie?" Buck lifted his arms into a defensive position, hands balled into fists. Palmer took a similar stance; though he noted that her shoulders were more set, her fists were more tightly clenched than his, and her guard was a bit closer to her body. "How'd you get out of war games? The other Spartans said the Commander is a real hard ass about getting your hours in."

"Already got in my hours," Sarah responded, starting to move toward the center of the ring. Buck moved closer as well, watching carefully for what she'd do. She had been the one to suggest a sparring match and he didn't know how good she was at close quarters fighting. Sarah could be a black belt who would beat him in seconds or no better than a drunken brawler at a bar for all he knew. "You're still waiting for your proper assignment so I suppose that's why you aren't showing up the other Spartans in the sims."

"And now I'm a rookie but I'd show up the other Spartans? Make up your mind." Buck decided that he'd get the ball rolling making a few testing jabs at the female Spartan. She stepped aside one and blocked the second. "Seems like you don't trust your teammates."

"’Rookie’ also means ‘new’, Idiot," Palmer informed him, taking a couple strikes at him which he blocked. "You're still a Trooper, and can show up the flight jockeys. Well, at least you can now that you're a Spartan." Palmer made a harder strike and Buck backed up as he blocked the blow.

"So I'm not as good as a pilot turned Spartan," Buck summarized. "Where do I stand against Coast Guard Spartans then?"

"You don't need to be a Spartan to beat them," Palmer answered with a smirk. Buck chuckled, enjoying the old branch pride. He supposed he was mocking his own outfit now though, as the Spartans were separate from the branches they drew from. "So why'd you give up your squad?" she asked. The question was a surprise and Buck didn't know how to respond. "It's just that you refused to become a Spartan without them, but now you're fine being separated."

"Yeah, well...when I signed up to be a Spartan I thought I knew my team." Buck remembered Mickey's betrayal, and the anger he still held reared its ugly head. He vented his frustration by taking a few good swings at Palmer but she deflected them, leaving him tense. He considered that was possibly her plan, to get him upset and throw off his guard, but even in the context of their sparring match that didn't make sense. "I wasn’t sure if I could trust them anymore."

"That's really comforting to your fellow Spartans, I'm sure," Sarah replied. "That just means if your sniper goes rebel now he'll only kill people he doesn't know. Should weigh much easier on his mind." Sarah took a few surprisingly hard strikes and Buck winced as he deflected the last of them. "Will it be less of a burden for you to not know if he ever hurt anyone? Out of sight out of mind."

"That's not..." Buck took a deep breath to collect himself and not let the accusation get to him. "That's not what happened. I never told them to separate us, just that I didn't want to lead anymore." He hadn't really thought about if there was a possibility that Romeo would go turncoat as well, or if he did that it might be Buck’s fault. "I trusted Mickey, and he turned around and stabbed me in the back. I should have seen it. I should have been able to do something. But I didn't, and I couldn't. I wasn't sure if I could lead a team. But I was sure I didn't want to."

"So things got a little tough and you backed down from command?" Palmer asked, clearly judging him. Buck scowled, knowing that she was trying to bait him. "I guess becoming a Spartan must have taken some of the ODST out of you after all, because Troopers don't run away when things get rough."

"Like you have a right to judge me," Buck growled, annoyed at having his honor as an ODST called into question. "You think that leading a fireteam means you understand what I've been through? And it wasn't just that one incident."

"You mean what happened when you were in training?" Palmer asked, taking a few steps back herself, giving Buck some breathing room. "I know all about that, and it doesn't change anything really. If anything it should have made it more clear why the Spartans need more soldiers like you - people that can be trusted."

"How do you know I'm not secretly a rebel spy?" Buck countered, their sparring basically forgotten. "You sure you can trust me?"

"Don’t do that, Buck," Palmer snapped, her voice giving away how mad she actually was. But Buck wasn't going to back down; he couldn't with his pride already in question. She charged toward him and he found himself on his heels trying to defend himself from her barrage. Buck tried to make a few strikes when there were openings but the ones that hit seemed to not deter her attack. He was caught completely off guard as her leg struck out, knocking his feet out from under him. Buck winced as his back slammed to the mat and suddenly Palmer was on top of him. She was straddling his waist as one of her hands gripped his neck and her other arm was pulled back, fist ready to strike his face. "Don't," she warned.

Buck lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender. He could see the anger on her face, but his ODST-side kicked in and he grinned. "This brings back good memories."

Sarah visibly eased up as her hand moved away from his throat and her fist unclenched. "Damn it, Buck." She let out a long breath and Buck then saw what he could only call fatigue. "Just...Don't make me doubt you." Her shoulders slumped and the grin faded from Buck's face. "I need to be able to trust you."

"You can," Buck assured her, understanding now that it wasn't just him who had been shaken by Mickey's betrayal. "You can trust me, Palmer." She seemed to relax and Buck did as well, a mutual show of confidence. "The only thing you need to worry about with me is maybe stealing a peek at you when we’re coming out of cryo."

"I'm not much worried about that," Sarah responded, a small smile sneaking onto her face. She leaned forward so her hands were resting on the mat on either side of his head. She leaned down and her smile turned to a seductive smirk that brought back some old memories for Buck. "I think the one that should really be worried is your girlfriend." Someone cleared his throat and Sarah's gaze turned from Buck to someone standing outside the ring. "One of the exceptions."

Buck strained to see the man who was standing at the side of the boxing ring. All he could tell was he wasn't tall enough to be a Spartan, and he seemed to be wearing an officer's combat uniform. Buck knew he should stand up and salute but Palmer hadn't moved from where she was seated on top of him.

"Hey there, Commander Sexy," Sarah greeted, a friendly smile on her face. "How can I help you?"

"You can start by having a last name that rhymes with something inappropriate so I make a good comeback," the Commander answered, sounding amused. "I need a moment of your time if you can spare it."

"Sure thing, Lasky," Sarah said as she finally stood from where she'd had Buck pinned down. "Just give us another minute here, and then I'll be all yours."

Buck was finally able to sit up and now turn to look at the officer. He wasn't particularly handsome, but he wasn’t bad looking either. He was staring up at Sarah as she leaned against the ropes and he had a grin on his face. "That sounds fantastic," the Commander responded, lingering for a second before he turned to step away.

Buck stood up and moved to stand beside Sarah, watching the Commander walk toward the exit, probably eager to get out of the high-gravity gym. "Is there anyone you don't flirt with?" he asked.

"Flirting is a good way to make friends," Sarah commented. "As long as both parties understand that it's not serious then there's no harm in it. Besides, it's not a bad idea to have a good relationship with the XO."

"So that's why you're not in the sims," Buck commented, his tone between mocking and indignation. "Flirt with the Spartan Commander and you get out of the war games."

"I don't flirt with the Spartan Commander," Sarah informed him. "I don't even like her most of the time." Buck wasn't really sure how to respond to that so he just kept his mouth shut. When in doubt, being quiet at least prevented accidentally insulting someone. "But Commander Lasky is a good man who can really help out the Spartans, so of course I want to have a pleasant working relationship with him. And Tom is my friend. I trust him."

Buck threw up his hands in surrender. "I can understand that," he admitted. "I've flirted with a friend or two, they're just usually fellow Troopers."

"Troopers aren't as much fun to flirt with as Spartans. Plus I like Lasky's guts for being willing to make comments about wanting to plow me, so I'd have to say he's more of an ODST than some marines I've known. And no one will flirt with me since my promotion so I'll take what fun I can get."

"I know you're an intimidating woman, but I wouldn't let the fact you're a fireteam leader keep me from telling you how nice you look in that workout gear. And I'm sure I'd have a comment or two about how well the body suit hugs your every curve." Buck grinned and leaned his side against the ropes. "I'm sure when you turn away you get plenty of looks as well."

"Looks aren't fun," Sarah commented. "I can't flirt back to a look, particularly when I don't see it."

"Well then I promise to peep openly," Buck joked. She rewarded him with an amused grin and slight laugh.

"I appreciate that, Eddie." Sarah slipped between the ropes and looked up at Buck. "Just keep that promise in mind when you realize that I'm not a fireteam leader. I am the Spartan Commander." Buck couldn't keep the dumbstruck look off of his face. "Enjoy the rest of your work out, Spartan, and remember to clean up after yourself. I've got a date with a handsome Officer." She turned and started walking toward the exit that Lasky had left through.

"I wouldn't call him handsome," Buck said, finally finding his voice.

"I would," Palmer countered, with a grin.

"Then what does that make me?" Buck asked, his own ego feeling a bit bruised. After all he knew Sarah was attracted to him. "Gorgeous? Ultra handsome?" he called, throwing out a few suggestions.

"You're..." Sarah paused and turned back to look at him for a second. "Meh," she finally concluded before continuing on her way out of the gym. Buck just watched her go, knowing that if he pushed more she'd only find more ways to taunt him. He then exited the ring and moved toward the free weights, silently cursing that she knew how to get to him like that.


End file.
